Broken Blossom

Bette sill does everything BEAUTIFULLY! "Make Yourself Comfortable" is a pleasant, lush opening number. The melancholy sadness of "You Don't Know Me" is carried out well enough to bring a tear to your eye. There's the Phil Spector-ish or Jack Nitsche-esque "Say Goodbye to Hollywood", an amazing twist on a well-known Billy Joel song. The "I Never Talk to Strangers", a duet with Tom Waits, is his amazing "pick-up" number, you enjoy hearing time and again. I love the epic "waking up the next day" anthem of "Storybook Children". And the hard-rock Debbie Harry-clone of "Red", originally done by Sammy Hagar is my favorite. The "Empty Bed Blues" by Bessie Smith is a classic--everybody sings this one at one time or another. Then the Disney-esque "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is a cute piece. While the dreamy "Paradise" is also beautifully done, too. And keyboardist Craig Doerge with his wife, singer Judy Henske, wrote "Yellow Beach Umbrella", which of all the versions out there (including one Craig did on his solo LP), Bette's is REALLY the BEST! And the oft-covered Standard, "La Vie en Rose" is still Majestic Midler Magic that makes, to this day, BROKEN BLOSSOM a still one-of-a-kind!

Even though I am a major fan of the Diva, this is one uninspired set of songs. The production values are without any kind of flash and panache and Midlers sounds as if she's telephoning her performances of her songs from the outer reaches of the studio. Despite the one pleasing duet with Tom Waits on "Never Talk to Stramgers," this CD contains some of the most forced vocals Midler's ever recorded. Her rendition of "RED" makes it painstakingly clear that 70's rock was NEVER her strength. Although she sang the hell out of the songs on the THE ROSE, the enrgy level on this CD is so understated that it lulls you to sleep instead of commanding your attention.
If you want to listen to the REAL Bette in all her glory, go for her last two CDs and the first three she ever recorded. Leave this one where it belongs, in trade-in bins!

Bette made a string of terrific albums in the 70s starting with her much praised debut but then fell inexplicably into a midcareer slump after her wonderful "Live At Last" double album. Maybe she ran out of steam like many big artistes invariably do. With Brooks Arthur producing, "Broken Blossom" looked promising but came up short on delivery. There's just two words to describe the set - lacklustre and dull. To begin with, the choice of material was pretty questionable. Between Bette and the producer, they picked a whole bag of clunkers. There's little of redeeming quality here. Even the familiar girl group styled "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" sounded uninspired. For once, Bette doesn't rise above her material. Her performances on the entire set are surprisingly flat and indifferent. I thought "Thighs and Whispers" - her follow-up disco set was disappointing but "Broken Blossom" is worse. For hard core fans only. Novices are advised to start with Bette's first three albums or her superb self-titled latest.